Caster



(No Moda.) 3 sheets-sheet 1.

s. o. MBNDBNHALL.

GASTER.

No. 314,963. PatentedMar-1, 1885.

N. PETE-ns. Phawu mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm C (No ModeL) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

1s. o. MENDBNHALL.

CASTER.

No. 314,963. Patented Marfl, 1885.

Ssheet-sheet 3. S. C. MENDENHALL.

(No Model.)

GASTER.

Patented Mar. 31, 1885.

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N. PETEFS. Phoxu-Lilhagmphu, wnmingmn. D. c.

UNITED STATES1 PATENT OFFICE..

STEPHEN C. MENDENHALL, OF RICHMOND, INDIANA.

CASTER.I

PECIFICATAIONforming part ofvLetters Patent No. 314,963, dated March 3l, 1885.

Application tiled October 24, 1F84. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concer/t.-

Be it known that I, STEPHEN C. MENDEN- HALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of Wayne and State of Indiana, (present business address Cincinnati, Ohio,) have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Casters for Furniture and other Purposes, of which the following is a specification.

lWIy invention relates, primarily, to those casters which are provided with two floor-wheels in which the spindle is mounted upon the axle between said hoor-wheels; but it is in part applicable to single hoor-wheel casters.

The improvement consists, first, in the provision of a universal bearing for the top of the spindle within the furniture plate or attachment. Said bearing is provided by forming upon said plate or attachment a heinispherical socketwhich isoccupied bythe spherical head of the spindle. The said head is held within its socket by a separate detachable plate or by pressing the edges ofthe socket around the same, as will be hereinafter more fully described. Then in use, the weight of the furniture resting upon the caster will be distributed between the spherical head of the spindle and a vertical antifriction wheel mounted over or slightly beyond the iioorwheel axle. rEhe spherical head occupying the socket in the furniture attachment may be formed in one with the spindle or projection from the Hoor-wheel axle, or be formed on the end of a malleable or wrought pin, which may be riveted in said projection.

The invention further consists in forming the iioor-wheel with an anti-friction bushing containing one or more seriesof loose rolls, upon which the spindle of the floor-wheel axle rests.

In order that my invention may be more fully understood, Iwill proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure I is a side elevation of a plate-caster embodying the invention. Fig. II is a vertical sectional view of the plate top and showing the lower part of the caster in side elevation, with one floor-wheel removed. Fig. III is an under side view of the cap which serves to retain the head of the spindle in its socket.

Fig. IV is a side elevation showing the adaptation of the invention to a stemcaster having a smooth round stem for entering the hole prepared in the furnitureleg or other part. Fig. V is a side elevation of the caster having a square stem for occupying asimilarly-shaped socket in the furniture. Fig. VI is a vertical sectional view of another form of the caster. Fig. VII is a side elevation of the same. Fig. VIII is a side elevation showing the same principle applied to a non'separating stemcaster. Fig. IX is a similaiview showing its application to a separating stem-caster. Fig.

an under side view of a furniture-plate and of a spindle retaining socket formed separate from said plate and riveted thereto. Fig. XIV is a vertical sectional View of a narrow roller for two floor-wheel casters having a single series of anti-friction rolls. Fig. XV is a similar view of a iioor wheel or roller having a double series of such rollers. Fig. XVI is a similar view showing the anti-friction bushing applied to glass Hoor-wheel rollers. Fig. XVII is a similar View of a floor wheel or roller formed in two parts and having two series of anti-friction rolls.

The fioor wheels or rollers l are mounted upon the' spindles of the axle 2, and retained thereon by means of rivet and washer 3. The j said axle has cast about its central portion a frame or housing, 4, having an upright portion, 5, supporting a spherical head, 6, which may be formed in one with said portion 5, (herein called the spindle) as shown in Fig. II, or may be formed upon a separate malleable or wrought pin, 7, which is riveted in said upright portion 5. Mounted upon the frame 4, either directly above or slightly without the floor-wheel axis, is a vertical anti-friction roller, 8, which may loe arranged either to receive the full weight of the furniture or to bear said weight in conjunction with the ball 6.

The furniture attachment may be construct- Ved either as shown in Fig. II or in Fig.VI,the latter being, however, the preferred form. In Fig. II the plate 9, resting against the bottom of the furniture,is provided at the center with a hemispherical socket,l8,to receive the ball 6, which ball is retained in place by a two-part plate, 1I,f1Xed to said plate 9 by rivets 12 or simply by wood-screws l3,passing completely through both of said plates and into the furniture-leg or other part. In this form the cap-plate Il serves as a track for the vertical anti-friction roller 8. In Fig. VI, however, the ball is retained in its socket by compressing the edges of the said socket around the same. A tool which may be employed for this purpose is shown in Fig. X, in which I4 is a block of hard steel having at top a hernispherical rccess,15,of suitable size to receive the socket when compressed around the head of the spindle. At the center of said depression is formed a cylindrical socket,l6,for the pin 7, which rests at bottom upon a spring cushion,l7. Vhen using the tool, the pin 7, having the spherical head 6, is placed within its socket, and the plate 9,l1aving a circular cylindrical rim,l8,at center,is placed over the head of said pin and driven down by a mallet until the edges of said rim are compressed around the said head to form the socket 18. (Shown in Fig. VI.) The spring-cushion 17 serves to keep the head of the pin up into the socket while the rim is being compressed about it and to assist in ejecting the pin when com- -pleted.

A lug, I9, formed in the upper end of the upright portion 5 of the frame, bears against the cap-plate 1I, Fig. II, or against a shoulder, 20, surrounding the socket on the plate 9, Fig. VI, to prevent the frame and caster-wheels from dropping away from the furnitureplate too far in case of the lifting of the furniture. The shoulder is preferably made of octagonal or other polygonal form, to adapt it to receive a wrench for screwing the attachment to the furniture when intended for use with a nonseparating caster, as shown in Figs. VIII, XI, and XII.

In Figs. VI to X,inclusive,I have shown the employment of a malleable or wrought iron pin in connection with the furniture-plate having a malleable or wrought socket.

In Fig. XII, however, is shown a detail view of a cast spindle of the form shown in Fig. II applied to such a malleable or wrought plate.

In Fig. XIII is shown a form in which the socket-piece` l0 is wrought or cast separately and attached to the furniture-plate by means of rivets 21 or otherwise.

In Figs. XIV to XVII,inclusive, are shown several forms of anti-friction floor wheel or roller, Fgs.XIV and XV representing narrow tread-rollers of size suitable for casters having two iioor wheels or rollers, and Figs. XVI

`and XVII representing, respectively, a solid glass and a hollow metallic wheel or roller for single Hoor-wheel casters, skates, or other purposes, the last being the preferred form of my invention, however, as applied to any form of caster or skate, embodying, as it does, a perfeet antifriction movement resulting from the use of two series of antifriction rollers, while it is rendered light by possessing annular chambers surrounding the chambers in which said anti-friction rollers are placed. The main body of the roller is cast in two parts, 22, dovetailed together, as shown at 31, and fixed by rivets 28, which also serve to retain in place capplates 27, which hide from view the interior ofthe roller and prevent the falling out of the anti-friction rollers.

In Fig. XIV is shown a method of forming a caster-wheel in which the cast hollow portion 22 is formed with an annular rim, 23, to serve as bearing for the anti-friction rolls 24, a single series of which is placed in the charnber thus formed surrounding the spindle 25 of the floor-wheel axle 2. Loose washers 26 cover the openings in the sides of the roller and prevent the ingress of dust, while keeping the sides of the roller from contact with the floorwheel housing or frame. The anti-friction rollers 24 are retained in place by the capplate 27,fixed to the cast portion 22 by means of rivets 2S.' l

Fig. XV shows a wheel in which two series of anti-friction rollers, 24, are employed,mount ed upon two rims, 23, cast on the hollow frame 22,and held in place by cap-plates 27 on each side of the roller.

Fig. XVI also shows the use of two series of anti-friction rollers, 24, mounted in a cast bushing, 23, for use in heavy glass or wooden rollers. This bushingmay be put together as here shown, before being placed in the roller, and the end lips at 29 of the barrel of the bnshing being then turned over the sides of the roller hold the bushing firmly in place. Oppositely-turned lips 30 on said barrel serve to hold the end cap-plates, 27, in place, and thus retain the anti-friction rolls.

The application of Frederick W'. Jackson, No. 137,295, filed July 10th, 1884i, shows and claims among other matter, first, an anti-frictiontwofloor-wheel caster the housing of which is provided with a pin rounded on its upper surface for bearing against the furniture-plate; second, an anti-friction two Hoor-wheel caster housing having a pin with rounded upper surface formed integrally with said housing; third, an anti-friction two floor-wheel caster the housing of which is provided with a pin having a neck, by means of which a two-part clamp retains the pin against the furnitureplate; fourth, a furniture or track plate for casters having a socket, a recess communicating therewith, and a key-plate to fill said recess. The said matter is therefore herein spel cifically disclaimed.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a caster,a wheel-frame consisting of a horizontal arm supported at one end on the floorwheel axle between the iioor wheels,

IOO

having vertical ears above said axle for the anti-friction wheel or roller, and having at its other end a vertical projection supporting a ball for bearing on the furniture-plate, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with floor-wheels and a spherical-headed spindle mounted thereon, a furniture plate or attachment having a downwardly projecting socket of malleable or wroughtironpressed aroundthe spherical head of said spindle, substantially as set forth.

3. In combination with floor-wheels,an axle or frame mounted thereon having a vertical socket, a wrought or malleable iron spindle riveted in said socket, and having a spherical head, a furniture attachment having `a downward spherical socket for receiving said head and spun over or pressed around the same, substantially as set forth.

4. A hollow casterroller formed with two coaxial annular chambers separated by a circular ledge or partition, and having a series of anti-friction rollersbearing on said ledge, substantially as set forth.

5. A hollow caster-roller having two coaxial annular chambers, circular ledges separating said chambers, transverse partitions and cap-plates, and two series of anti-friction rollers7 at opposite sides of the roller, retained to position by said transverse partitions and cap-plates, substantially as set forth.

6. In combination with a caster-axle,a floorwheel having a series of anti-friction rollers, on which said axle has bearing,and loose rings or washers covering the opening around the axle for excluding dust from the movement, substantially as set forth.

7. In combination with a furniture-plate, 9, having a rigid nut-shaped projection,.20, on its under side, a Hoor-wheel axle, a vertical anti-friction wheel mounted thereon and bear ing, on said furiiitureplate, and alug, 19, projecting from the iioor wheel housing and adapted to rest on the said projection 20 on the furniture-plate, whereby said projection serves the double purpose of supporting the housing and aiding in the fixing of the caster to the furniture, substantially as set forth.

STEPHEN C. MENDENHALL.

Witnesses:

OcrAvIUs KNIGHT, HARRY E. KNIGHT. 

